More Than It Meets The Eye
by LegosGoDown
Summary: Elena an art student, bored of her life meets Damon Salvatore, a dangerously looking mechanic who opens new doors and thrills her to no end. But will the thrills be more than Elena can handle? She never signed up for this. Delena/AU/AH/


The clock on the once white wall clicked along each second while impatient brown eyes followed its progression. Class would be starting in about five minutes leaving Elena to tap her pencil anxiously. It was the third day of her life drawing class, and the first day that they would be having a stand in model. Elena had heard the horror stories already. They ranged from models who were old and sagging woman that believed themselves to be sex gods to the almost laughable transvestite with the over the top breast implants.

Normally Elena wouldn't believe such stories, yet the oddity that was her professor made her second guess herself. She wouldn't put it past a man who urged his students to call him by his real name, to hire such odd balls to model. The man in question was currently out of the room, no doubt conversing with the model. Elena could only hope it wasn't the transvestite this time, she could deal with perverted old women or so she thought.

The clock finally hit the dreaded time, and Elena held her breath. She sat straight and kept up a calm appearance. There was no way that she was going to let this small matter get the better of her. It was only a two and a half hour class. She could do this!

Just then the classroom door swung open revealing her professor. Elena tried to pier around the man's large and eccentric hat to get a good look at the model. As the two individuals walked further into the room, Elena let out a sigh of relief.

The man who he guessed was the model seemed normal enough. He was a handsome man, a fact that was supported by the other squealing women in the class. From outward appearances the model seemed normal and Elena was thankful for that. Her eyes continued to roam over the well-crafted body, and Elena found herself appreciating the build of the handsome man. He looked quite young, probably no older then twenty-five. It made Elena wonder if he could be a graduate student at the university doing this gig for extra cash.

It was then that Elena allowed her eyes to settle back on the man's face. Elena felt her cheeks heat as she noticed that the man was looking straight at her, an irritating smirk on his face. Without hesitation Elena turned away, her gaze going to her professor who was talking excitedly with the model.

As the brown eyes darted away, Damon's smirk grew a bit more before he forced himself to listen to the professor talking. He knew what was going to happen, he'd been in this same spot several years back only as a student himself. And even during that time, the professor had been an odd one.

His gaze traveled around the room once more, taking in the students. The girls were huddled together, whispering to each other while the men in the room looked slightly annoyed. He could only imagine that they were hoping for a female model and were now forced to deal with a very male model instead.

The thought made him chuckle as Alaric turned towards the front of the class, getting everyone to quiet down. He stayed silent while he was introduced; gauging people's faces as they were told what was going to be done that day.

With his introduction finished, he was directed to a small room in the back where he could change while the students pulled out their art supplies and started to set up their stands.

Elena chanced a glance at the model, or Damon as her professor had called him, as he made his way into the small storage room. She had already taken out her sketch pad and set of charcoals earlier, preferring to ignore Alaric and Damon. Something about the man made her feel slightly nervous, a feeling Elena despised.

The group of girls situated to Elena's right exploded into a fit of sharp giggles and hurried voices. Brown eyes shot towards them with a glare then traced the girl's line of sight back towards the front of the room. Elena couldn't help the blush that raced up her cheeks and all the way to her ears. There stood Damon in all his naked glory. The man didn't even seem to have any shame as he stood in front of the class showing off every intimate curve.

Elena tried to will her eyes to focus on Damon's toned chest, but to no avail. Against her wishes they traveled down a taunt stomach and to the man's flaccid cock. No sooner did Elena register what she was looking at did she avert her gaze back to Damon's chest. She felt her cheeks heat up again, making her feel like the blushing idiots next to her.

_**'Oh god, how am I going to do this?'**_ She groaned to herself. Having to draw a life-like rendition of Damon meant having to look and scrutinize every aspect of the older male's body. At this point Elena felt like cursing herself for acting like a virgin girl. She ignored the pointed voice in her head that reminded her that she was indeed a virgin.

Damon sprawled out on the white sheet that was spread out for him, all the while trying to hold back the smirk that threatened to cross his lips. This was one of the main reasons he enjoyed being a model for the art students. It wasn't an ego thing, but more of getting a sadistic kick out of watching the blushes grow on the students faces.

Such was the case of a certain pair of innocent brown-eyed female, whose cheeks seemed to be stained in the red color. He shifted his body into a more comfortable position. His chest pressed against the sheet and he crossed his arms in front of him so his head could rest on them.

His leg stretched out behind him while the other one bent slightly at the knee so he rested some of his weight on a hip and still gave the students a good view of his length. He could hear the professor snickering behind him as he gauged his position. It had been the only request that the man made; his male anatomy had to be showing.

Not that the man had used those words specifically.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead gave a small smile before settling in for the long class.

Regaining her nerve and what was currently left of her dignity, Elena went to work. Her hand glided across her pad as she sketched out a crude outline of Damon's form. The strokes were light and almost nonexistent; their only purpose was to give the artist a skeleton to work from. Elena would then come in with darker lines to fill in the details.

Deciding that the safest route would be to start at Damon's face and work southward, Elena fished out a softer charcoal for darker lines and looked towards the man's face. Elena tried to hold back another blush as she noticed the man's intense cobalt colored eyes focused on her and her alone. This time around Elena did not look away, returning the look for all it was worth. She only turned away to look back towards her sketch and placed a few choice lines as she began mapping out Damon's face.

As she worked, Elena continued to feel those burning eyes on her, and every once in a while returning the look. She could already feel the soft pink on her cheeks. Damn this man to hell.

As the brown eyes darted back to the sketch pad again, Damon mentally smirked. He was trying his best to keep his lips from twitching into a smile, knowing that he had to stay as still as possible but it was hard. The young student was making things too amusing and he just couldn't help himself.

He guessed the student was around eighteen, probably right out of high school. His eyes traced over the female features, taking in the pale skin and casual clothes. The word cute came to mind but he had a feeling if he called the younger female that, he'd get an ear full.

Brown eyes met his again and another staring contest began, neither of them wanting to back down. Damon had no reason to, but it seemed as though the student was trying to prove to him that she wasn't nervous at all.

Keeping his eyes locked on the brown ones before him, his tongue came out and the tip traced over the seam of his lips. He watched the girl's face darken and didn't bother to hide his grin this time.

Elena cursed, going back to her work. She brought the charcoal down to sketch out the man's chest, thanking god for not having to look at Damon's face any longer. From this point Elena would only have to focus on the model's body.

She took her time in shading each muscular curve and every dipping slop. Not once did Elena bring her eyes back to meet Damon's even though she could feel them watching her every movement.

Finishing off Damon's left foot, Elena pulled herself back to admire her finished work. Her smile soon became a frown as she noticed the area she had subconsciously skipped over. There, nestled in between Damon's nicely sketched thighs was absolutely nothing.

Elena blinked once, and then twice. Her eyebrows furrowed and she cast Damon the dirtiest look she could muster, almost as if this was all the older male's fault.

A stray lock of hair dropped in front of his face and brown eyes traced the movement. Damon's eyes watched the action, noting that the harsh glare that had been directed at him seconds ago had softened slightly. It was almost as though that little strand of hair had thrown the student off.

It either added to his appeal or was making the student frustrated with the new detail that had to be added. He liked to think that it was the first option compared to the latter.

Someone cleared their throat behind him and everyone glanced up to look at the professor. Damon's eyes lowered, knowing that his time was over; for now. He'd be back next week to torture them again. Still, he had been enjoying his time mentally screwing with the brown-eyed student; he couldn't wait to do it again.

Elena hurriedly looked from her sketch pad to her professor. Class was over already? She wasn't sure if she should be glad or not. It irked Elena that she had not been able to complete her sketch, that empty space between her sketch's thighs only seemed to mock her. Maybe she could just wing it when she got home. Sketch something that looked similar to the man's penis. It wasn't like anyone was going to scrutinize that area, or so she hoped.

Sighing, Elena packed her things away. Her charcoal was placed back in her bag and Elena dusted her blacked hands on her jeans. Dark smears decorated the denim but she couldn't bring herself to care. It was almost a given that you would dirty up your clothes at least once a day if you were an art major. Elena had given up long ago with trying to be neat. She still didn't understand how people could paint a whole picture without get a drop of paint on them. Elena figured it was due to a lack of passion. When you are so wrapped up in the beauty that you are creating, you can't seem to care if you've made a mess or not.

The class was already shuffling out the door by the time Elena got her things together. Her large pad was hung awkwardly under her arm as she tried to maneuver past easels and stools. Alaric was busy working on something or another and Damon seemed to have disappeared. The absence of the man both relieved and disappointed Elena, though she didn't question either feeling.

Elena swiftly turned around, wanting to leave the building before her luck ran out. Her shoulder bag swung out colliding with a hard surface. The sudden collision forced the sketch pad to be wrenched from Elena's hands, sending it sprawling onto the floor.

Soft footsteps approached the fallen sketch pad and lifted it off the floor. Carefully, the sketch pad was opened and a slightly bent page was straightened out before sea blue eyes regarded the rest of the book.

Damon held out a hand to keep the student away, even going as far as holding the sketch book up higher until it was out of reach. He smirked as the brown eyes narrowed at him but kept turning pages.

The sketches looked good and he was even more curious to see the most recent addition to the book. Finally he came across the fresh charcoal page and his eyes scanned over the page, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Not too bad," he muttered. "I have to say this is my favorite sketch I've seen so far. Although it seems to be missing a small detail." The sketch pad was turned around and he tapped the blank area for emphasis.

Elena blushed, huffing in dismay as she watched the older man point out her tiny alteration. She swatted away the hand that still rested on her head and patted down is tousled locks. "Forgive me," Elena began, going again to reach for the sketch pad. It was pulled out of her reach once again, leaving her to curse her short stature. "But I couldn't see it well enough from where I was sitting."

It was a lie; Elena had sat in the front and had a perfect view of Damon's nether regions. In actuality Elena hoped that the man would take the statement as an insult to his manly pride. Would serve him right for teasing Elena throughout the lesson.

Damon just chuckled though and continued to examine the picture. "I can offer a suggestion to fix that problem. Some private lessons might prepare you better for future classes." He leaned forward until he was eye level with the student. "And that blush on your face says otherwise. You did indeed have a good view."

He smiled, his eyes falling shut and giving him a look of content before straightening back up again. Glancing back at the book in his hands, he flipped back to the front of the book and found what he was looking for.

"Are you living on campus, Elena?" he asked, letting the students name roll off his tongue for the first time.

Elena could only stare. How the hell did this situation fall so quickly out of her hands? Finding her best option was probably to smooth talk her way out of this offer, Elena sorted through her next words carefully. If she was lucky, she could give a quick and undeserved polite good-bye and make a hasty exit. She would just have to count her sketch as a sacrifice for a greater cause.

Taking a step back, Elena smiled pleasantly. "I live off campus, unfortunately not too close either. I wouldn't want you to go out of your way to help me." _**'I don't want your help at all.'**_ Elena mentally screamed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be." She said as she got ready to make a quick exit.

Damon's hand reached out quickly, catching Elena's arm and holding her in place. "It's your grade and future that will suffer if you can't get past this little problem. If you don't pass this class, you don't move onto the others."

He fished a card out of his pocket and slipped it into the book, making sure that the action went unnoticed. With a smile, he let go of the rather skinny arm and handed the book back to Elena. "And you can put your mind to rest with whatever your little brain is thinking, you're not my type."

"What made you think something like that?" Elena snapped as she took her sketchbook back. The comment did put her mind at ease, if only for a bit. Still, Damon continued to make her feel slightly uneasy.

The comment was waved aside and Damon walked around Elena without another word. There was no need to keep playing with someone as stubborn as the young student, when eventually; she would come seek out his help.

Once her grades in the class started to slip, she would realize that she'd have to swallow her pride and ask for help. And Damon was more than willing to wait.

Elena watched the man as he left, relieved that this nightmare was now over. Now she only had to hope that she could fix her 'mistake' and pass it by her professor without his noticing. If all went well, Elena could go about forgetting this little matter had ever occurred.

Two weeks had passed since that fateful day. Elena had been relieved to find out that Damon would not be modeling again for them that month. Instead they switched over to the female figure which Elena found herself much more comfortable drawing. She had all but forgotten Damon and the disaster of a sketch.

Even as Alaric was passing back their graded sketchbooks, Elena didn't even think to panic over what she might find awaiting her inside. Without much of a thought Elena flipped open her sketch pad and fished out the evaluation paper.

The first clue that things were about to go downhill was the irritatingly familiar card stapled to the sheet of paper. It was the same damnable card that Elena had found tucked away in her sketchbook once she had returned home from her encounter with Damon. It didn't take a genius to figure out how it had gotten there, although Elena was surprised to see that it was a business card to a rather well-known mechanic garage.

Ignoring the card for a moment, brown eyes went to inspect her grades. Unsurprisingly the first few were 'A's. It had been a piece of cake to sketch out life-like resemblances of the three female models that had followed Damon's opening 'performance'.

The last grade made Elena's blood run cold. There, written in mockingly bold red ink was a finely executed 'C'. Closely following it was a lengthy note written by her professor. Elena found himself dreading what she was about to read.

_'Elena,'_ The note started out. _'While this piece is well drawn with the composition taken into account, I can't help but feel that your talents are severely lacking in this sketch. Your proportions and representations in this sketch seem to be drastically different in areas then what the model actually offered.'_

Elena frowned at this, not liking where it was going.

_'I would like you to redo this sketch not only to better your grade but to refine your talent. I believe you will find it to be a fulfilling experience. Damon has already agreed to model for you once again. You can reach him using the card I have attached. I look forward to your finished product. Due next class.' _The note was then ended with an unreadable signature that would make any doctor proud.

Elena's first instinct was to approach her professor and sweet talk her way out of this mess. A quick glance around the room crushed that hope. By the look of Alaric had taken a quick exit after returning their grades, no doubt a smart move on his part.

Given the due date she had been given, Elena only had the weekend to work on this sketch. A part of her, a very unsightly part of her, wanted to just take the 'C'. It wouldn't hurt her grade too much, but the more prideful part argued that she had never gotten a 'C' before let alone a 'B'.

Without further thought on the matter Elena resigned herself to her dismal fate. She glanced to the card once more noting the parlors name and address, not that she needed to. The place was only a few blocks away from her apartment. Elena walked past it every morning on her way to campus.

"Might as well get this over with," Elena mumbled as she pocketed the card and stuffed the rest of her belongings into her bag. This was sure to be a long and tiring week.

The sign flashed _'Moonstone'_ in bright neon green. To anyone not from around here, it might have been slightly misleading. To Elena she knew this place to be home to one of the top auto parlor and car parts, or so she had heard. Currently it was only home to her worst nightmare.

A bell chimed somewhere in the back of the shop as Elena forced the door open. The main entrance was dimly lit but obviously spotless and high class, something Elena had not been expecting from a mechanic shop; though perhaps she was being stereotypical.

Sweet smelling incense was burning behind the counter and was not entirely unpleasant. It was just light enough to not be overbearing. She watched the smoke billow up as she waited at the counter hoping that this wouldn't take long.

A thin female poked her head out of the door behind the counter and approached her with a small smile. Her large green eyes, made Elena feel slightly more comfortable somehow.

"Welcome to Moonstone," she said with a heavy British accent and looked Elena up and down carefully. "Mr. Damon is currently with a customer and should be finished shortly. Unfortunately, Mr. Damon can only take in consolations today, if you'd like to go ahead with your car repairs or purchases you'll have to make an appointment. He's booked for the next few days."

Elena waved the woman off, shaking her head as she did so. "I'm not here for a car." She paused for a moment as she sought out the most proficient way to word her next sentence. "It's a personal matter. Just tell him Elena is here."

She blinked before nodding and walked off to the back of the store. A few assistants worked in the various booths, working on smaller cars and more exotic vehicles. The steady sound of screwdrivers and the slight smell of gasoline mixed with the incense filled the space, along with a low murmur of voices.

Reaching the stall near the back, she waited for Damon to take a break from repairing before speaking. He was almost done with the car, adding some more oil to make sure there was nothing to fear.

"An 'Elena' is waiting for you at the front desk. Said it was a personal matter," she said lowly.

Damon nodded and lowered the hood of the car down before wiping the grease off his hands with a white towel. "Take her to my office and tell her I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Yes, Mr. Damon," she said and padded back to the front of the store. She smiled at Elena and gestured for her to circle around the desk. "This way please. Mr. Damon will be with you in a few minutes and has asked that you wait in his office."

Elena hesitated for only a moment before following the lady into the rather spacious room. It wasn't surprising to find the office just as clean as the entry. Everything seemed to have its place, even the orchid on the window sill. The only slight mess was the scattered paper covering a portion of Damon's desk. From what Elena could see they seemed to be drafts and sketches of car designs.

As the woman left, Elena took a seat in the chair opposite of Damon's and she waited. A rather large metal framed clock hung on the wall and caught Elena's eye. Swing below it was its pendulum. The movement caught her eye and Elena found herself staring and listening to the quiet ticks that told of passing time. It was the twist and click of the door that finally brought Elena's attention away as she turned to greet the newcomer.

The door was shut quietly behind Damon before the man rounded the desk and took a seat on the edge of it. "How's class going?" he asked and smirked at the harsh glare directed at him. Smiling, he stood up and moved to a small refrigerator. "Would you like something to eat?"

The door was opened, showing various sweets stacked inside the small box. He reached down and took out a small plate for himself before turning to Elena.

Brown eyes roamed over what the fridge had to offer and Elena couldn't help but shrug. She might as well get something good out of this trip. "Sure, why not."

Damon picked out a slice of cake for Elena and set it down on the desk before her, letting the fridge door swing shut. He moved to the table next to the small appliance and picked up a coffee flask that sat on a plate warmer.

He poured the hot coffee into two cups and offered it to Elena before taking a seat once more. Damon pulled open a bottom drawer to his desk fishing out some loose forks and a pair of napkins.

Once done, Damon cleaned his mess and replaced the leftover napkins back into his desk drawer. His eyes danced slightly as he looked over to the girl and he reached for his plate. "I take it you know why you're here."

Elena scoffed as she took a bite of her cake, surprised when she found it utterly delicious; she kept that opinion to himself. "More or less," she answered between bites. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be."

Damon set the plate aside and glanced at him. "Obviously," he muttered and took a sip of his coffee. "I'll be finished by seven tonight, if you'd like to get started today. Otherwise you need to tell me what times can work for you."

Elena mirrored the action, taking a sip of her own coffee. She grimaced at the lack of sugar but didn't ask for any. "Tonight will be fine. It's not like I've been given much time, so the sooner the better." Elena took another sip of her coffee. "I just want this done and over with."

"Of course," Damon said and glanced over his cup to look at Elena for a brief moment. With a small smile, he set the cup down and looked at his watch. "Come back here tonight after closing and you can try again."

_**'Try what again?**_' Elena wanted to ask, having the odd feeling that Damon wasn't referring to her failed sketch attempt. Instead she nodded and went back to her almost forgotten cake. Normally, Elena would have left without a second glance, but she had cake to think about; it couldn't go to waste.

"So you like cars?" Elena broached, trying to find some form of small talk to take up the silence while she gobbled down the sweet cake.

"I love all forms of movement," Damon answered and set the plate aside now that the cake was gone. "Cars were the one I liked the most as you can tell. But that's a story that wouldn't interest you of course."

_**'No it probably wouldn't.'**_ Elena mentally remarked. Granted having the story withheld from her reluctantly drew her interest. "I can see why you would like it. Fixing and destroying at the same time? I just knew you were the sadistic type," Elena joked as she finished her cake, placing the plate on top of Damon's.

Damon shrugged. "You could say that." He stood up and grabbed the plates, setting them in a small bin so he could wash them later. "But what I do is not much on the personal level, you as artist can inflict pain deep inside, while I can just do the physical."

He sat back on the desk and gazed at the student. "So in a way, you and I have much in common. Only difference is that the pain that I give is sarcastically and people don't take it so seriously. Yours however, is unexpected and much more harsh."

Elena couldn't keep the smile off her face. "You assume too much," she said. Damon couldn't have spoken truer words. An artist had the ability to stir conflicting emotions, whether good or bad, within a person through their art work. It was one of the reasons Elena enjoyed the subject.

"Well I believe I have taken up enough of your time. I'll be back tonight... Seven?" Elena reconfirmed.

"Correct," Damon answered and rose to his feet. He followed Elena to the front of the store where another customer was waiting patiently for him. A quick nod to Elena dismissed the younger student and he turned his attention fully on his customer. Elena would be dealt with tonight, for now; he had other work to do.


End file.
